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STATE BEATS ABOLD, LOCALS IN WALL USAC FORD MIDGETS
by Walter Elliott

WALL TWP., N.J. -- Jesse State, of Hyde Park, N.Y., held off New Jersey natives Sean Carman and Ryan Osborne to snap Pat Abold's Wirtgen America USAC Northeast Ford Focus Series Midget winning streak at Wall Township Speedway Saturday night.

State, who won his career first N.E. Focus race at Seekonk, Mass. June 6, first ran in Carman's draft as they passed polesitter Osborne on the opening lap. The No. 18 Bay Auto Center Hawk-Ford Focus series rookie then took the lead from Carman on lap three and pulled to a 3.670-sec. vicrory margin on Carman after 25 laps.

The victory ends Jeff Abold's three-race winning streak. Abold, who has won four of the series' seven races so far, finished sixth on Wall's banked, paved one-third-mile oval. The Pennellsville, N.Y., pilot still retains the series points lead.

State, 18, has previously run on the adjacent Garden State Quarter Midget Racing Club's one-20th-mile "Little Wall" oval. He considers "Big Wall" his home track despite the two-hour drive. "Getting my first win at Seekonk was special," said State to series announcer Glenn Todd. "I never thought I'd get my second so soon."

Carman, of Stockton, and Osborne, of Milford, who rounded out the podium, also considered WTS as their home track. All 13 starters finished the 25-lap all-green-flag feature in five min., 29 sec. with an 91.045 mph average lap speed.

Jon Seaman, Jr., of Southbury, Conn., turned 18-years-old in time to finish fourth. The New Jersey State Police minimum age and accidents from the July 7 round at Oswego, N.Y., put six drivers on the sidelines.

Shaun Gosselin, who won the Ford Focus N.E. Series' WTS debut last year, finished 10th. USAC has been fostering national and regional Ford Focus series since 2004. The cars are full-size midget cars powered by common inline 124 cu. in. four-cylinder engines similar to ones in the Ford Focus. Osborne and Michael Mohleski, of Frederick, Md., split the two eight-lap heats. Mohleski, in his second start of the year, was making his WTS debut despite having run at "Little Wall."

The N.E. series is to head for the Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl Saturday before returning to Wall Aug. 18.

RESULTS
Heat Winners (8 laps): Michael Mohelski, Ryan Osborne.
FEATURE (25 laps): JESSE STATE, HYDE PARK, N.Y.; Sean Carman, Ryan Osborne, Je Seaman, Jr., Steven Intravaia, Jeff Abold, Michael Mohelski, P.J. Stergios, Shaun Gosselin, Dan Moore, Mike Hoffman, Rick Hart.

NEXT Wall Township Speedway USAC Northeast Ford Focus Series Race: Aug. 18, 6:30 p.m.
NEXT Northeast Ford Focus Race: Saturday, Waterford, Conn.

Photos © 2006-2007
Ace Lane Jr.
unless otherwise noted

©2007 Wall Township Speedway, LLC